She's on the road, then on her own

House & Homes' Snoop Patrol takes a peek inside celebrities' homes.

Elaine MatsushitaTribune reporter

The hustle won't stop when Colbie Caillat leaves her "Coco" world tour bus behind come fall. After taking her "Bubbly" sound around the world — and stopping in at the Vic Theater Thursday — the 22-year-old singer plans to look for a first home of her own.

"It's a good investment to buy your own house, and it's time for me to live on my own," says Caillat, who can thank her MySpace fans (with their now more than 38 million plays) for taking her and her music from gigs in furniture showrooms at the High Point Market in North Carolina to concerts in Malaysia, Taiwan, Europe and across the United States.

"I'm looking to buy in the Santa Monica area. It's by the beach, laid back and a fun town to be in," the native Californian told us in a recent e-mail interview from the road.

Caillat now lives with her parents in their five-bedroom, three-bath home up against the mountains in Thousand Oaks, Calif., with her three dogs, a beagle named Taupe, Annabell, a yellow Lab mix, and Roxy, a border collie. And she practiced her decorating chops there.

"That's one of my favorite things to do. I always have done it with my own room, and I took an interior design class in college to see if I wanted to do it as a career.

"I have been collecting cute wooden furniture the past few years and will be putting them in my own place when I get it."

Moving out on her own has got pros and cons: "I'm gonna miss the feeling of waking up knowing my parents are in the house and that I am always safe. And making dinner at night with them and watchin' our favorite TV shows," Caillat says. But, she adds, "I'm looking forward to decorating my whole house my own style, inviting people over whenever I want, coming home late and not worrying about waking my parents up."

What item in your home most reflects your personality: My walls. They are colorful but simple.

What color is your bedroom? My walls are a cream color right now. I used to have one wall pastel yellow, one pastel green and one peach. I chose the colors and painted them with my friends.

One thing on your nightstand: A journal.

One thing on a wall in your bedroom: A framed picture of my three dogs.

In what room of your home do you feel most creative? I feel most creative in my room and most calm there as well. I have cute lamps with warm lighting so it feels cozy and pictures of Hawaii to make me feel like I'm there when I need it.

If you had to save one "thing" from your home, what would it be? My dad's 1968 Martin guitar. [Ken Caillat is a record producer and co-produced Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" as well as "Tusk."]

What CD would we find in your player (or artist in your iPod) right now? John Mayer, "Continuum."

What reading material would we find in your bathroom? I don't read in the bathroom, I write songs.

Most embarrassing thing in your home that you hide when guests come over: Dirty dishes on my bedside table.

If we came unexpectedly, would we find your bed made — or not made? I never make my bed, it's not as comfortable to crawl into when you're tired.

Best furniture bargain you ever got: A huge wooden mirror from a thrift store that's full-length and beautiful.